


Walk Between the Raindrops

by low_qualityhope



Category: The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe: Mermaid, Book Timeline, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, M/M, Read along with the books, honestly this is harder than writing the damn story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-10-18 00:59:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10606014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/low_qualityhope/pseuds/low_qualityhope
Summary: Alexander Lightwood is a Shadowhunter; one of the Nephilim. Half human, half Angel, part of a well-known, respected family. No one ever suspects there might be something hidden behind his blue eyes and cold exterior.Alexander Lightwood is a good son, a good leader, a good example. An extra body part and a particular preference for men shouldn't change people's view of him.Unfortunately, that's just not how the world works.Throw in an infamous, presumed-dead evil villain, his actually crazy redhead daughter who seems to have a big thing for Alec's brother, and a certain glittery, cat-eyed warlock, Alexander Lightwood is completely, and ridiculously, screwed.AKA: the Malec mermaid AU that no one asked for but is getting anyway.Set alongside the plots of City of Bones and City of Ashes, starting in chapter 12. Largely disregards main plot happenings.(the story is actually a little darker than the summary implies, but that's just because I can't write summaries to save my life. enjoy.)





	1. Fire and Rain

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, look, a multi-chapter fic.  
> I started this one a while back, directly after a huge two-month Writer's Block, so if there are any little mistakes I might have made in my excitement, I'm sorry.  
> Anyway, a mermaid fic? Who asked for that? No one. But hey, I wrote it, so you can take it. If you want.  
> Copies of City of Bones and City of Ashes is kind of necessary, but if anyone desperately needs to know what's happening in the background or why they're doing what they're doing, let me know and I can try and explain.  
> Okay? Okay.
> 
> Notes:  
> -Alec is not in love with Jace.  
> -I am still unsure to Magnus' true age, so I'm going to stick with 400 years old. He may or may not lie about it, though.

Chapter One: Fire and Rain

_(City of Bones: Chapter Twelve)_

 

The dark sky ahead rumbled with the promise of an incoming storm, casting a shadow over the group. Alec looked up uneasily as they walked, fear coiling in his gut. From the way she drew subtly closer to him, and the look she gave him, he knew Izzy was worried as well.

Even Clary seemed to pick up on the general mood and wisely kept her mouth shut, instead lagging behind to walk with the Mundie. She stared at Alec’s back a little, evidently trying to decide whether or not to ask what was going on, but Alec turned around and glared at her, effectively answering her question.

Izzy’s voice broke the tense silence. “I think this is it.”

Alec blew out a sharp breath. “Good. Let’s go.” He set up off the stairs before the others could object, suddenly desperate to get under a shelter.

*****

Shelter, it seemed, showed itself in the form of a very glittery, unexpectedly tall warlock. Alec studies him while Isabelle got them in, taking in his…unique appearance. He was Asian, undoubtedly, with beautiful golden skin and a high-cheekboned, elegant face. Black hair surrounded it, shimmering with layers of glitter. His lips were a dark, electric blue, and his eyes- breath-takingly golden and slitted, like a cat’s- decorated in more black glitter.

Makeup on guys had never been a thing for Alec before, but this was…wow.

Suddenly, the warlock- ‘Magnus Bane,’ his brain supplied- flashed a sharp, white grin and started up the stairs, forcing Alec to tune back into the conversation. The sky growled again, prompting him to nudge his sister’s back to get her moving. He let out a relieved breath once he was out of way of potential rain, and ignored Clary’s weird look in his direction.

Magnus disappeared pretty quickly into his party, leaving them to wander around, sussing out the scene- the place was very…Magnus, Alec decided. Bright colours countered the dim lights and stained the magical swirls of mist that were moving slowly through the dancers. It seemed as though all of Downworld had received an invitation to this party- more vampires, warlocks, and Seelies than Alec could ever remember seeing in one place were grouped together on the dance floor, twisting and turning in almost ethereal movements to the heavy beat of the music. The smell of sweat hung thick in the air, coupled with- was that sugar?

Jace tugged him on his sleeve and out of his thoughts. “Alec- we’ve lost Clary.”

Hastily, the Shadowhunter glanced around at the mass of bodies surrounding them. The stupid little girl was nowhere to be seen, and it seemed that Izzy and the mundane had wandered off, too. “Damn it. Why did we think taking her along would be a good idea?”

“Because Bane wouldn’t believe us otherwise. Come on.” Rolling his eyes, Alec dutifully followed his brother around the party, keeping his mouth shut to keep any bitter, witty comments from slipping out. Hey, it was a real problem.

Eventually, they located Clary and Magnus talking by a pillar close to the front door. It had taken them a few minutes; Jace had even managed to acquire a strand of flowers from a faerie as they’d passed. Clary turned to them instantly, looking relieved.

“Where are Simon and Isabelle?” was her first demand.

While Jace pointed them out, Alec watched Magnus Bane. He was regarding them all curiously but with the air of someone who had seen similar things too many times. It was quietly, effortlessly intimidating.

 _Fascinating_.

*****

By the time the group returned had from Magnus’ bedroom, Simon had successfully gotten himself turned into a rat, and Magnus finally drew the party to a quick close, Alec was all but ready to fall into his bed and sleep until midday. And Isabelle asked him why he never went to parties.

He only began to think straight as they were passing the windows on their way to the door- and stopped dead. “Isabelle.”

Isabelle turned, wiping mascara-stained tears from her eyes. She was clearly tipsy. “What?”

“Isabelle, look. Look outside.”

She looked. For a few seconds, she simply stared at the floor-to-ceiling windows blankly, and then something seemed to click in her drunken mind and her mouth dropped open. “ _Oh._ ”

The darkened windows were spattered with raindrops sliding rapidly down the glass. New York’s lights flickered disjointedly through the water. Slowly, the initial realization dies down to a slow, looming sense of panic in his chest.

That was it. He was well and truly screwed.

*****

Somehow, Izzy managed to convince Jace to leave them here, and after a few more super special, top secret words between Magnus and Clary, they’d gone, out into the rain and hopefully back to the Institute. Note the emphasis on, ‘hopefully.’

Finally, the two Shadowhunters were the only guests left. A sudden silence draped itself over the loft, thick and heavy like a curtain.

Magnus turned to face them with a sigh through his nose. “Might I ask why you’re still here?”

Alec looked away, uncomfortable, but Izzy, who was doing an admirable job of sobering herself up, spoke. “I’m really, truly sorry, High Warlock, but we can’t leave just yet. There are some…complications.”

“‘Complications’?” Magnus quirked an eyebrow, walking past them. He continued talking even as he raised his hands, blue flamed crackling in his palms. “What sort of complications?”

Isabelle didn’t reply, too busy staring at what Magnus was doing; his long fingers curled daintily in the air, making various things appear and disappear, furniture flying through the air and the mess from the party vanishing. Alec smelled the same scent as earlier- burnt sugar with a hint of spice- and suddenly realized that it must be the scent of Magnus’ magic. Now that he thought about it, Alec could vaguely remember reading about that somewhere. Huh. Well, the more you know, and all that.

The warlock returned the loft to what Alec supposed was its normal state; large and mainly empty. Magnus shrugged. “I’ll finish that in the morning. Now, take a seat. Explain.”

They sat down on a new couch by a glass coffee table to their left. Isabelle spun some half-believable story about their parents not wanting them yet, and Alec could see that Magnus didn’t buy a word of it.

He regarded them, cat eyes thoughtful. They seemed to linger on Alec. “It’s just for the night?”

“Yes,” Izzy replied quickly. “We’ll be out of your hair tomorrow- hopefully.”

Thought the last word was uttered under her breath, Magnus still caught it, and raised an eyebrow. The Lightwood siblings held their breath as he considered, sitting in an almost identical, tense position.

Magnus grinned. “Fine. You can stay, but don’t go around telling all of your little angel friends that the High Warlock of Brooklyn allowed you into his lair.” He stood suddenly, clapping his hands together with a jingle. Alec jumped. “Now, you two stay here whilst I find you something to change into. Oh, and wipe your face with this.”

Izzy jumped, too, when a damp red cloth appeared in the air in front of her face. The warlock smiled again, before practically gliding from the room.

Alec and Isabelle stared at each other, wondering what, exactly, they had gotten themselves into. Perhaps they should’ve taken the rain, instead.


	2. Midnight Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alec has Thoughts, Magnus is all for the sake of knowledge, and Izzy is still half-drunk.

Chapter Two: Midnight Rain

 

“Alexander.”

A smooth, silky voice stirred Alec from his thoughts. He blinked owlishly up at the owner, tilting his head in lieu of an answer.

“Alexander, I ran you a bath. It’s ready for you, if you want.”

 _A bath? Water?_ Yes, Alec very much _did_ want; he’d been staring out the black window at the storm for the past Angel knew how long. It was becoming increasingly difficult not to succumb to the desire to walk out, feel the rain glide over his skin, let the other side of him simply _take control_ …

“Hey.” The voice had taken on a sharper tone. Alec wasn’t sure he liked it. “Are you alright?”

Forcing himself to focus, the Shadowhunter stared at Magnus, trying to decide his answer. “Y-yes. I’m fine.”

“Are you completely sure?” Hesitantly, Alec took the hand offered to him and allowed himself to be pulled up. “You seem a little…distracted, if you don’t mind me saying.”

“What? No, no, I’m fine.” Alec shifted uncomfortably, looking around the room. It had changed again- there was less open space than before, everything was a warmer colour, and there was a fire crackling in a fireplace just left to the windows he’d been transfixed with- though it was still the same place. There was just a homier feel about it. “Where’s my sister?”

“She’s fine. Asleep on the couch.” Well, that much was true. Isabelle was curled up around a cushion where Alec had been; evidently, she’d fallen asleep on him. Alec smiled a little at the sight of his strong, fearless Isabelle scrunched up into as tight a ball as physically possible, ruffled dark hair obscuring her face and tumbling down her shoulders like a midnight river.

He felt Magnus move closer to him, and caught his breath, resisting the urge to look at him. Surely his face was as red as anything by now. “She’s sweet,” Magnus murmured, causing Alec to shudder lightly at the low, husky sound. A soft breath touched the back of his neck. A laugh, maybe. “But not as sweet as you.”

Alec drew away quickly, spinning around and stuttering almost non-coherently. _What was_ wrong _with him?_ “I-um, I don’t… I mean, why are- didn’t you say there was a bath run?”

The warlock laughed, a clear but beautifully full and genuine sound. “Yes, I did run one for you, as well as your sister. However, I think it’s best if we leave dear Isabelle to rest, lest anything unfortunate happen.” He gave a bright smile, already making his way out of a door behind him. “Don’t you agree?”

Alec nodded. With another of those sharp grins that Alec was beginning to like, Magnus headed off down the corridor, and Alec followed behind.

*****

The bathroom, as it turned out, was en suite to Magnus’ bedroom, which Alec had already seen. It was relatively large, with white tiles on the walls that, when they caught the light in a certain way, seemed to glitter a faint gold. There was a shower in the far right corner, a sink in the left, and a pretty, ornate bathtub filled with clear water sat between them, its end toward Alec.

“You like?” Magnus asked from the doorway. “I bought it a while back.”

 _How long is ‘a while back’ for someone who lives forever?_ “Uh, yeah. It’s nice.”

A smile was flashed his way again as Magnus moved to stand behind him. There was a faint note of something Alec couldn’t quite identify, something that made Alec turn to look at him. Magnus’ face was still, unblinking. His voice was quiet when he spoke. “Then I do hope you’ll forgive me for this.”

Alarm bells rang off in Alec’s head, setting him instantly on edge. His Shadowhunter speed allowed him to ward off the first physical attack, but a flick of Magnus’ wrist had him shoved back before he could make a break for the door. Stumbling, Alec tripped back and fell into the bath of water with final splash.

Instantly, he shot back up, but the damage had been done, forcing him back down. Soaking wet and spluttering, Alec stared fearfully up at Magnus.

Eyes wide, he came to kneel next to the tub. “Oh,” He breathed out. “So I was right.”

Alec fought the urge to cover his body as the High Warlock’s feline eyes travelled down, over his face and still-clothed chest, to where the pale skin of his stomach narrowed down into dark, rough scales. His tail glimmered through the water, curving up over the side of the bath to hang halfway to the floor.

“What do you want?” Alec bit out finally, sick of the silence.

Magnus looked at his face then, expression awed and genuine. “Oh, I don’t want to hurt you. Please, don’t worry. I simply saw the signs and curiosity got the better of me.” He shook his head, getting to his feet and sighing. It was only then that Alec realised he had changed out of his party clothes and now wore only a long, shimmering red dressing gown. His black hair was down, falling in a surprisingly long sheet to his shoulders, though his makeup was still impeccable. “Well, I’ll let you get cleaned up while I set up rooms for you and your sister.”

“Wait,” Alec called after him; the warlock turned, a brow raised in question. “You- you won’t tell anyone?”

“No one you don’t want me to. Incidentally, who does know? Just in case I let it slip.”

“Uh, Isabelle, Hodge Starkweather, and my parents. That’s it.”

“Blondie doesn’t know?”

Alec forced back a smile. “No, Jace doesn’t know.”

“Hm. Okay.” Magnus turned away again in a swirl of dark silk. “Get washed, there are clothes on the washing basket.”

Then he was gone, leaving Alec alone, confused and blinking, and wondering what the hell he was going to tell his mother.

*****

When Alec emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later, dressed in just a pair of baggy blue pyjama pants (he had a strong suspicion that Magnus had left out a shirt on purpose) and hair ruffled and damp, Magnus was nowhere to be seen. Or at least, he wasn’t in the living room, and Alec wasn’t about to just search his home.

Isabelle was still asleep on the couch, but stirred with a soft murmur when Alec sat down beside her and carded a hand through her hair; she smiled up at her brother tiredly, scooting closer to rest her head on his lap. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he replied quietly, already regretting waking her up. Moments like this were rare and precious in their family. “Listen, I need to tell you something.”

It took just over five minutes to explain what had just happened, and Izzy, to her credit, listened intently. She gasped when appropriate, covered her mouth in apparent shock, made little comments. Alec couldn’t help but feel like she was treating it as a story. Perhaps she was still a little drunk.

Neither of them heard Magnus approaching. “Isabelle, dear, I see you’re awake.”

Alec twisted around to glare at him, which the warlock pointedly ignored as he held out a tall glass of water to Isabelle. She took it with a suspicious glance.

Magnus smiled a little, small. “Trust me, it’s just water.” He looked at Alec. “And I _didn’t_ pour it over your brother’s head, so it’s harmless.”

“But you _did_ shove me into a bathtub.”

“It was for the sake of knowledge, darling.”

“Right,” Alec muttered, rolling his eyes, “Knowledge, of course.”

“Great!” Magnus beamed suddenly, spinning away. “I’m glad we understand each other. Now come, I’ve readied your rooms.”

After a moment, Alec followed, dragging a protesting Isabelle along with him.

*****

The rooms Magnus had prepared for them were just down the hall, next to one another and opposite Magnus’. Magnus vanished into his room pretty quickly after bidding them a good night (with an additional wink towards Alec), leaving the Lightwoods alone in the hallway.

“Iz? You okay?”

She smiled wearily up at him. “Yeah. Just wondering why we’re actually staying here, really. Jace must be worried. Or maybe not, since he’s with Clary. She’s probably already gotten herself into more trouble.”

“Probably,” Alec agreed. “Listen, I’m sorry we’re stuck here. It’s my fault, we shouldn’t-,”

“Hey, you idiot. It’s not your fault. If anyone’s, it’s probably that demon that raped our ancestor and got you into all this, so… yeah, it’s not your fault.”

Alec smiled. “You’re tired. Go on; get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning. Mark your door.”

“Will do. I love you, big brother.” Isabelle drew him in for a quick hug, breathing his familiar scent in.

“Love you, too, little sister. Now, go.”

Waving, Izzy disappeared into her room. Alec waited until he heard the soft scraping of her stele against the door before slipping into his own.

Angel, he was exhausted. This whole day had worn him continuously down, and this was just the icing on the cake. He drew the runes quickly, eyes already half-mast as he flicked the light off and tumbled into the double bed.

Despite the fact he was too tired to think completely straight, his brain refused to shut down. He didn’t trust Magnus Bane. The warlock was making himself incredibly difficult to pin down- giving them hospitality, then discovering one of the only things Alec’d had to keep secret his whole life but them promising not to tell anybody, serious but then flirtatious- and Alec didn’t like it. It was…well, confusing as fuck, is what it was.

And honestly, Alec had enough to deal with right now without the High Warlock of Brooklyn, of all people, adding to the list.

Alec wanted to sleep, thank you very much. Magnus Bane could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't really described Alec's tail that much yet, simply because it's from Alec's POV, which means he's not fussing over what it looks like since he's seen it before. I promise it'll come up soon.  
> The story will really start up soon; these first few chapters are a kind of introduction.


	3. Rain on the Windows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alec is too stressed for anyone's good, Clary is a bitch, and does he ever get a good night's sleep?

Chapter Three: Rain on the Windows

_(City of Bones: Chapters Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen)_

When he was angry or stressed, Alec could normally be found beating up a rare visiting Shadowhunter or a punching bag in the training room. The dull strain of his muscles, the sharp pain of grazes on his knuckles, carried him away from his thoughts and responsibilities; a twisted sort of paradise from the pressures of the Clave, his parents, everybody.

He’d been in the training room a lot since Clary got here.

Today was no exception. It was early, a few hours after he and Isabelle had snuck out of Magnus’ after leaving a short ‘thank you’ note, arriving back at the Institute only to discover that Clary, Jace, and the mundane had never made it back in the first place. Hodge, who knew what he was, understood why Alec hadn’t come home last night, but the others -getting back a half hour after them- didn’t get that luxury.

Jace and Simon were sent to the infirmary; Clary disappeared pretty quickly and Alec copied her, though moving to train instead of shower. And that was why he was here right now, punching the shit out of a hanging bag, all alone.

The thing is, Alec was used to order; almost nothing in the Shadow world was without a plan if the Nephilim had their way. It worked. Though of course, there had to be a ‘but,’ and Clary was his.

 _Less of a but, more of a butt_ , the less mature side of him pointed out. He ignored it.

As if the looming threat of Valentine over his head wasn’t enough, not to mention the way-too-up-close position he somehow had in this whole thing, Magnus Bane was refusing to leave his mind- for too many reasons. On one hand, he was afraid that maybe Magnus would break his word, or find a loophole, and was sending a fire message right then to one his Downworlder friends, or even (though he doubted it) to the Clave. On the other hand, he just could not stop thinking of the glimmer in Magnus’ shockingly feline eyes, of the sharp, exotic lines of his face, of the expression he’d worn when he’d seen Alec’s tail, the smile then that was so jarringly genuine, so _open_ ….

Blinking, Alec shook himself mentally- and physically- out of those dangerous thoughts. He was Alexander Gideon Lightwood, for Angel’s sake, a member of one of the finest Shadowhunting families there were, and he would not, _would not_ , let his parents down. Not like that.

Finally, perhaps an hour or so later, he forced himself to stop, sweaty and panting, and headed up to his room to flash-shower and change before going to check on Jace.

He was sat up against the pillows when Alec arrived, talking to Isabelle, who was sat reading in the chair to Jace’s right, and ignoring Simon, who was watching them from the bed opposite. All of them looked up as Alec came into the room.

Jace spoke first, smiling. “Hey. Was wondering where you got up to.”

Alec shrugged, hopping up into his normal spot on the windowsill. “Trained for a few hours. I had some pent up energy I needed to work off. And,” he added, directing a glare towards his adoptive brother, “Worry. What were you thinking, just running off on your own to rescue one mundane from a whole clan of vampires-,”

“I wasn’t on my own, I had Clary.”

“Yeah, and she’s about as good as a sack of potatoes at the moment, so personally I don’t count her.”

This went back and forth for a few minutes, with Isabelle and Simon not making any move to stop them, until Clary opened the infirmary doors and walked in like she owned the place.

Apparently, Alec hadn’t worked off enough stress to prevent the words, “Oh. It’s you,” from escaping his bitter mouth. Eh, whatever.

Clary ignored him. “Hodge says he’s on his way and he hopes you can both cling to your flickering sparks of life until he gets here.”

While Jace was busy showing off his- admittedly impressive- pain threshold and the mundanes were talking, Alec slipped off of the windowsill and walked over to Isabelle. She looked up from a book she was probably being forced to read and smiled.

“Hey,” he greeted. “Listen, what do Jace and everyone think we were doing last night?”

“I told them that I’d heard Hodge needed more ingredients in the infirmary a while back, and that we thought we’d do him a favour and get them for him while we could.” She shrugged. “They bought it.”

“Okay. Hodge knows the story?”

“Yep.”

Alec nodded, turning back to the others in time to catch Simon kissing Clary on the cheek before she left. He didn’t miss the way Jace’s eyes darkened as he looked away. If there was one thing Alec didn’t like, it was people hurting his brother- and this girl had done so too many times already.

Mind made up, Alec strode across the hard infirmary floor and out of the doors, hurrying to catch up. “Clary!” The redhead turned to look at him, her expression one of surprise. He paused a few feet away from her. “I need to talk to you.”

“What about?”

Alec hesitated; despite how much he was starting to dislike this girl, he was generally not a rude person. “I think you should leave. Go home."

Clary stared, her mouth hanging open. “Alec, the last time I was home, it was infested with Forsaken. And Raveners. With fangs. Nobody wants to go home more than I do, but-,”

 _Oh, come on_. “You must have relatives you can stay with?”

“No. Besides, Hodge wants me to stay.”

Alec resisted the urge to roll his eyes at childish, “ha, ha,” note underlining her voice. “He can’t possibly. I mean, not after what you’ve done. You almost got Jace killed. Running after your friend like that- do you know how much danger you put him in? Do you know-,”

“Him? You mean Jace?” The younger girl’s voice was slowly rising in anger. “For your information, the whole thing was his idea. _He_ asked Magnus where the lair was. He went to the church to get weapons. If I hadn’t come with him, he would’ve gone anyway.”

 _They went to Magnus?_ “You don’t understand. You don’t know him. _I_ know him. He thinks he has to save the world; he’d be glad to kill himself trying. Sometimes I think he even wants to die, but that doesn’t mean you should encourage him to do it.”]

“I don’t get it.” Alec huffed a sigh out through his nose. Of course she didn’t. “Jace is a Nephilim. This is what you _do_ , you rescue people, you kill demons, you put yourself in danger. How was last night any different?”

Finally, Alec self-control cracked- under the pressure of Clary, Valentine, Jace, the Clave, his secrets- and his voice rose out of his control. “Because he _left me behind_! Normally I’d be with him, covering him, watching his back, keeping him safe, but-,”

“‘Left you behind’?" Clary interrupted, incredulous. “We didn’t leave you behind, you _stayed behind_!” She shifted her weight, glaring up at him. “Look, I don’t know what’s up with you, Alec, but there was something wrong that night, I can tell. You weren’t there when we went to Magnus’. And I can bet that Jace doesn’t know, does he? Why? Because you’re scared?”

Terror flashed through Alec’s body as the words left her mouth. His vision went white momentarily, and then he had Clary held up against the wall, her head smacking the panels with the force of it. The anger had dropped a little, taken by fear, and his voice was more of a quiet growl than a shout now. “Don’t you _ever_ , ever say anything like that to him or anyone, or I’ll kill you. I swear on the Angel, I’ll kill you.”

Clary’s bright green eyes were wide and scared as she stared up at him. A little gasp left her mouth, and Alec blinked, jumping backwards as he came to his senses. Feeling sick, like he was going to throw up, he stumbled away, managing to make it down the corridor and out of sight before he fell against a wall, panting and swallowing back bile.

 _Fuck_ , he was so screwed.

*****

Alec made it to his room after a while, fear of someone finding him like that winning over the urge to just sit there and cry. The hour was late, and his muscles were sore and aching from his time in the training room, so it was all he could do, yet again, to slip off his clothes before falling into bed in just his boxers.

He probably should have fallen asleep instantly, but- of course- his brain decided there were much better things to do, such as worry about everything, and over-think. A* for that great effort.

Distantly, he could hear the sounds of footsteps down the Institute’s empty halls, and wondered if it was Isabelle heading to bed or if Clary and Jace were sneaking around again.

He decided that he didn’t particularly care.

With a long, tired sigh, he finally reached over to his bedside lamp and clicked it, painting the room in darkness.

 

_Water. The dark, looming mass of the ocean surrounded him, slithering over his bare chest, stroking his hair._

_Comforting._

_He didn’t seem to be moving, but the black was shifting around him, like he was caught in a lazy, slow-moving current. A faint taste of salt hit his senses, striking him as odd; growing up in a big city, he’d never had the luxury of a big, wide, open space to swim in properly. Idris was different but the same, what with all the Shadowhunters around, and Lake Lyn was an experiment he was not willing to try._

**Blink.**

_What was that? Twisting, he squinted into the darkness in a fruitless attempt to find the source. Nothing._

**Blink.**

_There. A quick, split-second flash of…gold? Green? What-_

**Flash.**

_Green-gold cat eyes, staring at him from across the seabed, assessing him curiously. “Alexand-,”_

_“Alec!” Isabelle?_

_“We didn’t leave you behind, you_ stayed _behind!” Clary?_

_“Children of the Nephilim. Well, well. I don’t recall inviting you.” Mag-_

_Jace’s laugh, echoing in a room with the slash of seraph blades, a feminine scream, a roar of a demon-_

_“Alec!”_

_“Alexander. What are you doing here?”_

_“But you said there wasn’t much demonic activity- you_ said _the levels were low!”_

_“Alec!”_

_“Alec!”_

**_“Alexander. Wake up.”_ **

 

“Wake up, Lightwood, we’ve got something.”

Gasping awake, Alec sat up hastily under the covers, just catching Jace’s silhouette at the door cocking its head at him before shrugging and shutting the door on its way out. Groaning, Alec leaned his head into his hands, trying to sooth his headache, then reached over to his bedside table to click on the lamp- _“Ouch,"_ \- and attempted to sort out the seemingly random thoughts in the dream.

 _Izzy, Magnus, Jace, Clary, and him_.

Clary’s voice had been from the argument before; a memory.

Magnus’ had been from the party, so also a memory.

Jace’s laugh, the blades, the scream, the roar…vision? Nightmare?

Magnus. A vision?

Himself, a vision, possibly.

Isabelle, yelling his name over and over- another vision?

He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.

And the ocean, before. Was that going to happen, or just wishful thinking?

*****

Ten minutes later, the whole of the Institute’s residents were gathered in the library. Alec watched them from his spot in his favourite armchair, having pulled on the piece of clothing closest to him at the time- a pair of old, well-worn pyjamas.

“I don’t really see what any of this has to do with us,” he said, bluntly. “I thought the search for the Cup was in the hands of the Clave now.”

“It’s just better if we do this ourselves. Hodge and I already discussed it and that’s what we decided.” Jace’s voice was a snap, impatient as he shot a quick glance at Alec.

Izzy shrugged, slipping one long braid behind her ear. “Well. I’m game.”

 _Traitor_.

“I’m not,” Alec butted in. Honestly, what was wrong with his family? “There are operatives of the Clave in this city right now looking for the Cup. Pass the information on to them and let them get it.”

“It’s not that simple,” Jace insisted.

“It is that simple. This has nothing to do with us and everything to do with your- your addiction to danger.”

Jace shook his blond head, eyes up to the ceiling. “I don’t understand why you’re fighting me on this.”

A while later, Alec finally lost the argument and left with his siblings to reluctantly gear up. Isabelle caught him by the arm as he was sliding his arrows into the quiver.

“Alec, you do realise it’s raining?”

Alec blinked at her, then quirked an eyebrow. “Is it?”

“Yeah. Only a little right now, but still.” She cocked her hip. “How are you gonna go out there?”

With a look towards Jace, who was busy slotting Seraph blades and other demon-killing weapons into various pockets all over his hunting gear, Alec walked towards the built-in cupboards along the opposite wall. Gloves, a long, heavy coat with a giant hood, a transparent umbrella that protected his entire upper body. An emergency kit. Of course, he’d have to take off the coat in order to fight efficiently, but-

“Come on,” He told his sister with a tiny smile, slipping one last blade into his belt. “Let’s go get the stupid Cup.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on, I'm going to (attempt to) update on a Saturday. At least, that's the plan. Hopefully it'll work.  
> ANYway, thank you for reading this! I love getting feedback, so (winkwink, nudgenudge) ya know, comment? Maybe?


	4. Shadows in the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which it's the Mortal Cup, not the Mortal Toilet Bowl, Jace, the Shadowhunters play Guess Who, and Alec is most definitely not going to survive this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY I KNOW IT'S LATE AND IT'S SHORT BUT MY LIFE IS SLOWLY UNRAVELING AND IM FREAKING OUT just a little AND IM SORRY BUT AT LEAST IT'S HERE OKAY GOOD BYE
> 
> And yeah, I'm a bad person who hasn't written the sequels to E.S.H.I.S or L.T.T.C.O.Y.D yet, but my imagination is giving up on me. I'll get there. Just give me time.
> 
> In other news, I'm not sure whether I want this story to be a medium length story (CoB to CoA/G) or a long one (CoB to CoHF). I need to decide pretty damn quickly in order to make this story work, so leave a suggestion or advice down below? Puurty pwease?
> 
> Also, I've worked out the bloodline logic for this whole thing (seriously, I spent way too much time on the TMI wikia page figuring it out) so that'll show up at some point.

Chapter Four: Shadows in the Rain

_(City of Bones: Chapter Eighteen)_

 

The smell of Clary’s block of apartments was horrible. Alec had been on his fair share of missions with Jace and Isabelle in his life, but this was something new. Far stronger than any demon he’d ever smelt.

But Jace had said the demonic activity levels were low, so he assumed it was just the Forsaken upstairs stinking up the place. Still, something niggled the back of his mind- something someone had said. What was it?

“Demons have been here,” Jace said, interrupting his train of thought. Alec glanced around the foyer, a little curious to see where the famous Jocelyn Fairchild had hidden with her daughter and the Mortal Cup for all those years. “Recently, too.”

It was vaguely disappointing: though the foyer was large, there were stains of Angel-knows-what on the walls, the carpet was now a dull mass of grey, and the naked light bulb dangling from the ceiling seemed to be dead.

Nothing out of the ordinary for a New York apartment.

Isabelle shifted closer to him. “I doubt the Clave will be pleased about any of this. On balance, she’ll probably come out of it better than we do.”

“They won’t care as long as we get the Cup,” Alec replied quietly, “Especially if we slaughter a few Forsaken while we do it.”

Jace shook his blond head, glancing over to his siblings from his position guarding Clary. “They’re in the upstairs apartment. My guess is that they wont bother us unless we try to get in.”

“What are you waiting for?” Izzy shot at Clary, who glanced quickly at Jace before making her way to a door on the other side of the foyer. Silently, Alec moved to stand behind her as she knocked on the door.

Dorothea’s door swung open, making Alec blink as the room was lit with a sudden golden glow. A woman- large and swarmed with vibrant yellow and green fabrics- stood there, looking down her nose at them. Alec felt his eyebrows lift subconsciously. Her fashion style was a little overwhelming, and not in a good way. ( _Not in the way Magnus Bane was_.)

“Clary!” The witch cried, throwing herself forward. Alec tensed until he realised it was just a (albeit very forceful) hug. “Good Lord, girl. The last time I saw you, you were disappearing through my Portal. Where’d you end up?”

“Williamsburg,” Clary replied, looking out of breath. Alec didn’t blame her.

The witch stared, shaking her massive head and muttering something about Brooklyn and transportation.

The Shadowhunters- plus Clary- entered the apartment cautiously. It looked almost exactly like a stereotypical mundane fortune-teller wannabe’s home might, all plush armchairs, velvet cushions, and old books. The words ‘sickeningly sweet’ came to mind. Alec fought not to wrinkle his nose in distaste.

At first, things went smoothly; Jace worked his custom method of witty charm until Clary cut the crap and managed to retrieve the cup (Alec moved closer in interest then), and then the witch became a demon and everything went almost literally to hell. In his shock, staring at the hideous mass of blackened bone and rotting flesh that was suddenly, _somehow_ before him, Alec opened his mouth and said the first thing that occurred to him: “But you said there wasn’t much demonic activity- you _said_ the levels were low!”

It registered in his mind immediately after that he’d heard that before, but then Jace was snapping back a reply, the demon- Abbadon, apparently, a _Greater Demon_ \- started its attack, and By the _Angel_ , Alec is most definitely not going to survive this.

Distantly, he saw Jace move forward in a heroically stupid move towards the demon, armed only with a single blade and a grin. Abbadon rose up in front of him, lashing out with talons half Jace’s size and most likely veined with poison. No matter what he thought, Jace had no chance.

So Alec did the only thing he could.

Darting past his sister, he just managed to slip between the demon and his brother, weapon out-stretched. A satisfying ‘ _pop_ ’ sound echoed through his body as the feather staff punctured the demon’s thick, rotting skin, but Alec barely had enough time to process the feeling of elation before Abbadon reached out again with those deadly claws and struck him, dragging millions of bolts of pain along with them. Before he could let a cry tear free of his throat, he was flying through the air and he could just see Jace’s face of shock before he hit the wall and everything we(nt silent….)

_…”Alec!”_

*****

Consciousness came and went, slipping through his numb hands like water.

_(Did I kill it?)…(Yes. It’s dead.)_

_…_

_(Don’t. Hold still, just hold still.)_

_(Do what you have to.)_

_…_

_(Why aren’t we there yet?)_

_…_

_(Alec?)_

_(Alec…)_

_…_

Alexander. Wake up.

*****

The first thing Alec registered when he blinked awake was the blinding light. A quiet groan slipped from his dry throat when it hit him, and his eyes shut again quickly.

“Alexander?”

Alec scrambled to sit up, squinting against the harsh light as he automatically searched the space around him for a weapon with his hand, anything he could use to protect himself from the unfamiliar voice.

A gentle but firm hand forced him back down. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe, don’t strain yourself.”

Struggling weakly against the pressure, Alec glared upwards through sightless eyes. His voice was surprisingly quiet when he spoke. “W-what happened? Who are you?”

“I’m offended. Normally, the High Warlock’s name is a name one doesn’t forget, and I’m certainly rather memorable, if I do say so myself.” _The High Warlock? Of Brooklyn?_ A low, smooth chuckle met his ears. “Magnus Bane, darling. We’re in the Institute.”

Alec relaxed- just a little. “I- my eyes, they-,”

“Hold still.” There was a faint click, a whisper of air, and then the glowing whiteness started to gradually fade towards the edges of his vision, replaced by a shifting mass of blue magic.

Now he could see the arched ceiling of the infirmary, with its old wood and beams, painted with the same familiar scene of cherubs and ribbons as it always had been. Cat eyes watched him carefully from his left, but Alec was too tired to register the danger now.

This was home.

Home was safe.

Sleep overtook him again before he had a chance to smile.

*****

It was darker in the room when Alec clawed his way into consciousness for the second time. The overhead lights had mercifully been turned off, the blinds drawn on the windows to shield him from the majority of the morning sun. Silence, once again, hung in the air.

As quietly as he could, suppressing the pained grunt that threatened to slip from his mouth, the Shadowhunter turned his head to the left on the pillow. He sucked a sharp breath in at the sight.

Magnus Bane himself was sat in the chair there, slumped forwards over the bed with his head pillowed in his arms. His perfectly styled hair was rumpled, a tangled mass hanging limply over his forehead and into his eyes, and his position gave Alec the impression that he’d fallen asleep sitting up, unwillingly.

A sudden wave of care and concern crashed over him. It was probably the reason for what he did next.

“Magnus,” he whispered hoarsely. “Magnus, are you okay?”

The warlock flinched away the moment Alec’s hand fluttered over his skin, bringing his ringed hands up instinctively to protect himself. His wide, unglamoured eyes blinked wildly up at Alec before rapidly darting around the large room as though searching for danger. Alec drew his hand back hastily.

“Hey,” he tried again. “It’s okay. I-I’m not really in a state to hurt you, you know.”

Magnus seemed to truly wake up at the sound of his crackling voice, blinking a few more times, and then lowering his hands with an apology. “I’m sorry, Alexander. It appears I…fell asleep.”

The Shadowhunter cracked a miniscule smile at the slightly lost look Magnus was wearing. It made him look younger. “It’s fine. I was just wondering what you were doing here. Did…did Jace call you”?

“‘Did Jace call me?’” The warlock repeated. “The arrogant blond one?” Instead of a smirk, scowl, or any other expression one might expect to see paired with a question like that, a flicker of something else, something dark and knowing, crossed Magnus’ face. Alec knew that expression. It meant that something bad had happened, and that someone, somewhere, was most likely suffering.

And it definitely wasn’t a good sign, given the context.

Just as he was opening his mouth to ask just what had happened whilst he’d been unconscious, a sharp twinge of pain scraped itself across his chest; Alec hissed, catching Magnus’ attention.

“Where does it hurt?” The warlock demanded, magic already sparking at his fingertips. He leant over Alec’s shirtless body, inspecting the claw marks that were marring his skin in varying stages of healing.

Alec gritted his teeth as another bolt of agony skittered through him. “Ch-chest.”

Magnus got to work instantly, pressing more and more power into his skin, until the pain was gone and all Alec could feel were the flames pulsing through his body; the heady feeling of his own blood calling out for it, _wanting it_ ….

And then the heat was gone as well, leaving Alec dazed and panting on the bed.

Magnus appeared to be in a similar state. A look of barely hidden wonder flickered in his tired face as he spoke in one long breath, “My, my, Alexander. What an intriguing creature you are.”


	6. --NOT AN UPDATE--

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yikes  
> this isn't an update please don't yell at me

so- this isn't technically an update, but i figured since i haven't updated this story in literally two months (yIKES) i should probably ~~make up some excuses~~ explain why.

school is part of it; it's not that it's been particularly hard, per say, but i get ridiculously stressed over the littlest things, so my motivation basically jumped off a cliff and didn't bother to return (rip).

aLSO i've tumbled down the deep dark rabbit hole into the void that is BTS and have not yet been able to find a way out (lmao like i'd want to), so that's a thing that happened. i'll probably write a few fics in that fandom at some point ngl ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

BUT, it's the summer holidays now. maybe i'll be able to get my shit together enough to finish the chapter i'm on at the moment.

either way, I do want to continue this story ~~sooner or later~~ , so i'll try my best. however good that may be ~~(which is probably shitty but yA KNOW HAVE FAITH AND ALL THAT JAZZ)~~.

until then, thank you for putting up with me. also a special shout-out to the people who commented, bc you are literally the only thing keeping me going with this. i know there was one person ('Em em' ???) way back in may who told me not to give up, and they made my day.

love ya (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

**Author's Note:**

> By the way, every chapter is named after a song, but only because of the relevance of that one line. The song is probably nothing to do with this story.  
> And ya, this first chapter's kind of short. Sorry.  
> Rating may or may not go up.


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